The Foods You Should Be Eating To Improve Your Lungs

Breathing is more popular than oxygen – well, equally as popular if you consider that you breathe roughly 25,000 times each day, report the National Institutes of Health. Your lungs keep invaluable oxygen pumping through your body, which becomes particularly important when you’re doing cardiovascular training, like running or biking.

Sadly, the aging process, pollution and smoking do knock back your lungs’ health. However, by training regularly and eating the right foods, listed on these pages, you’ll be able to keep your airways healthy and youthful so you’re blowing more candles out on more birthday cakes. Here are some foods that’ll help your on-the-run exercise performance by improving your puffing power.

Sour grapefruits

Starting your morning off with this sour companion can have a very sweet benefit to your lung function. Research by the American Thoracic Society found grapefruit improved six-minute walk scores and decreased certain types of inflammation associated with poor lung health. They might taste bitter but it’s better than being out of puff when you’re training.

How much? 1-2 each day

Pistachio nuts

Easily the most moreish food you can eat, pistachios shouldn’t be limited to ice cream toppings because the American Association of Cancer  Research has suggested they can help reduce the risk of lung cancer. It was 68g of pistachios per day that did the job. Incorporate this amount into your diet to keep your chest healthy.

How much? 68g per day

Ginger

Ginger is a smart way to add zing to many dishes and juices. The American Thoracic Society has found this spicy root can help combat the effects of asthma. The compounds in ginger can help relax your lungs for easier breathing. If the root of asthma is difficulty breathing, ginger can be your medicine.

How much? 5-10g a day

Onions

Fortunately, onions are a staple for just about every tasty dish around the globe. An exciting new study by the American Chemical Society has found the tearless variety can help fight against cardiovascular disease. An extract from a tearless onion significantly reduced platelet clumping, which helps to keep your lungs working at optimum capacity. You could shed a few happy tears with this breakthrough.

How much? One onion a day

Pumpkins

Halloween might be a distant memory but pumpkins still have plenty of value to offer thanks to their rich supplies of the antioxidant alpha-carotene. It’s associated with a reduced risk of dying and of  cardiovascular disease. Research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found the more alpha-carotene that was present in the blood the higher the percentage of reduced risk of dying. We’re pretty sure very little arm twisting needs to be done to eat some roasted pumpkin as a refueling carb source after training.

How much? 1-2 cups per day

Garlic

If you don’t mind offending other people’s nostrils after chomping garlic then your lungs will be happy. As well as keeping away vampires, garlic is useful for reducing the risk of lung cancer by almost half. Even those who smoke cut their cancer risk by 30%, according to a Chinese study presented on CBC News’ video internet portal NewsLook. That’s something to sink your endurance-hungry fangs into.

How much? 2 cloves a day

Pomegranates

Hailed as an MVP in the superfood team, pomegranates have also been found to help reduce the growth and spread of lung cancer cells, found the boffins at the University of Wisconsin. The rats who were treated with pomegranates saw a tumour reduction of 53.9% at 84 days,  according to the same research. Looks like they provide the best defense on your plate, even if it is annoying spitting out all those pips.

How much? 1-2 each day or a glass of juice

Red wine

The benefits of a few glasses of red is widely known but research by the American Association for Cancer Research has found that popping a cork for moderate consumption can decrease the risk of lung cancer in men. In a study of 84,170 people aged between 45 and 69 years old, those who drank one to two glasses per day decreased their lung cancer risk by 60%. Now there’s a good reason to say cheers as you raise a glass.

How much? 1-2 small glasses

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